USM Alger were crowned TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup champions for the second time in their history after defeating Zamalek 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday night.
The Egyptian giants won the second leg 1-0 through Oday Al-Dabbagh’s early penalty, levelling the tie at 1-1 on aggregate after USM Alger’s identical victory in Algiers a week earlier. But after a tense battle failed to produce another goal, the Algerian side held their nerve in a marathon shootout to snatch the title in front of a stunned Cairo crowd.
The triumph secured USM Alger’s second Confederation Cup crown following their success in 2023 and booked their place in next season’s CAF Super Cup, where they will face either Mamelodi Sundowns or FAR Rabat.
With this victory, USM Alger walk away with a hefty sum as CAF has increased the winners’ prize money to a record USD 4 million.
Roared on by a packed stadium and an impressive pre-match tifo display from supporters, Zamalek started with urgency knowing they needed to overturn the first-leg deficit.
Their breakthrough arrived almost immediately.
In only the second minute, Adam Kayed was brought down inside the area after a challenge from Che Malone, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Palestinian forward Al-Dabbagh stepped up confidently and calmly slotted the penalty beyond Osama Benbout in the fifth minute to ignite celebrations inside Cairo International Stadium.
The goal not only restored parity on aggregate but also lifted the tension among the home fans, who sensed another famous continental comeback after previous final recoveries in recent years.
Zamalek continued to push forward and thought they had doubled their lead in the 14th minute when Mohamed Ismail turned home from close range following a clever knockdown by Juan Bezerra, only for the assistant referee’s offside flag to cut celebrations short.
USM Alger gradually settled into the contest and began to threaten through Ahmed Khaldi, whose movement and powerful shooting repeatedly troubled the hosts.
